Telephony.



M. L. JOHNSON.

FIG. l

INVENTR MGRTQN L, JOHNSON 'FIGA [Fmg ,FIGB FIGA ATTUBNEY M. L. JOHNSON.

TELEPHONY.

APPLICATION FILED IuLY 17. |913.

1, 1 73,775. Patented Feb. 29, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

mvENTeR MQRTONLJOHNSON @JMPTQEY M. L. JOHNSON.

Patented Feb. 29, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3- MTNESSES INVENTUP.

,Km/VW MORTGNLJOHNSON l BY wv 05 Q/f@ /ww ATT @RNEY M. L. JOHNSON.

TELEPHONY.

APPLICATION FILED lULY I7, |913. I 1,173,775. Patented Feb. 29,1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

XNVENTOR NORTON L. JOHNSON ATT UME? pTiiTnn sTaTiis TaTnnT ermee.

NORTON L. JOHNSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLENOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,TO FRANK B. (100K CMPANY, OF CHICAGO, LLNOES, A CDRPOBATN OF ILLINOIS.

TELE'EHONY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 29, lll.

Application filed July 17, 1913. Serial No. 779,479.

To allee/1mm it may concern:

Be it known that l, MoRToN L. JOHNSON, citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in rlelephony, of whichthe following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description,reference being had to the accompanving drawings, forming a part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to telephone exchange systems employing callreceiving operators and connecting operators and finds a very importantembodiment in those systems wherein connections made between calling andcalled lilies are individually charged for, the connections of callinglines with called lines being effected in part by means of callreceiving or recording operators and toll hoard or connecting operators.

The invention will be specifically described in connection with a toolsystem in which the call receiving operators act as recording operatorsand the toll operators act as connecting operators, though the inventionis not to be limited to such employment.

My invention has for one of its objects the provision of means wherebyrecording operators may select idle toll board operators to effect anautomatic distribution suited to the capacity of the latter operators.

The invention has for another of its ob.- jects the provision of meansfor establishing communication between the recording operators and thetoll board operators which includes recording instruments at the tollboard and transmitting instruments at the recording operators positions.Iln the preferred embodiment of the invention these receivinginstruments are desirably telautograph receivers and the transmittinginstruments are, then of course, telautograph transmitters, though theinvention in all of its embodiments is not to be limited to the natureof the receivers at the toll board and the transmitters at the recordingoperators positions. By means of this feature of the invention thenature of the `connection to be established is placed in record formbefore the selected toll board operator. Where tel-V autographicinstruments are employed the form of record is permanent and may betransmitted to a filing clerkafter the connection has been concluded orabandoned.

l The invention has for another of its objects. the provision of meanswhereby the recording operator may have access to an informationoperator to supply that informes tion which the calling subscriber mayhappen to lack, such for example as the telephone number of the wantedparty.

rlhe invention has for its further object the provision of informationoperators who are provided with equipment for furnishing the callingsubscribers with information as to the status of desired connectionswithout the necessity of interrupting the work of the toll boardoperators for this purpose and in order that these information operatorsmay be fully equipped to answer the queries of calling'subscribers atany stage of the desired connections the recording instruments arelocated withinreach of the information operators so that they may havethe same information which the recording operators furnished to the tollboard operators. Inasmuch as recording instruments in the form oftelautograph receivers are preferably emploved the information operatorsare provided with telautograph receivers. These telautograph receiversare desirably presided over by the filing clerk, the informationoperators getting their information from the record furnished by theselatter telautograph receivers and filed within reach of the informationoperators by the filing clerk.

l will explain my invention more fully by reference to the accompanyingdrawings showing the preferred embodiment thereof and in whichl `igure lis a general diagrammatic view illustrating the invention; Figs. 2, 3and 4 are views, which taken collectively, illustrate the preferredembodiment of the invention more in detail: and Fig. 5 illustrates themanner in which Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are assembled when they are to be readin connection with each other.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughoutthe different igures.

Referring first more particularly to Fig. l, l have there showntelephone lines extending from telephone stations 200, 201 to anexchange where an A operator is provided with link connectors 1 forconnecting jacks 2 pertaining to the lines of stations 200, 201 withjacks 3 pertaining to trunk lines 1 which terminate in spring acks 5 inthe presence of call receiving operators acting as recording operators.These recording operators are provided with link connectors 6 havingplugs which may be inserted in the jacks 5 to enable the recordingoperatorsto converse with the calling subscribers at the stations 200,201, the A operators switching the calling lines into connection withrecording operators when such calling lines desire long distance or tollconnection. 1f the calling lines`desire local connections the mates ofthe plugs that are inserted in the jacks 2 of the calling lines areinserted in corresponding acks of the called lines, as the systemhappens to be here illustrated. The recording operator in connectionwith a calling line will ascertain the usual information which isrequired as a condition precedent to the establishment of a longdistance or toll connection such as the naine and telephone number ofthe calling party and the name, telephone number and address of thewanted party. While receiving this information the operator will'depressa key 7 corresponding to the division of the toll board where access maybe had to the desired line, whereupon a selector switch 8 individual tothe depressed key is set into operation by the closure of a switch 9common to the recording operators position. The operated selector switchselects an idle telautograph receiver 10located in the presence of anidle operator at the division of the board where access may be had tothe desired line. An idle telautograph receiver having been selected theoperator will wiite the information which she has received by means of atelautograph transmitter 11, the recorded information being written uponthe selected telautograph receiver 10 and-upon a telautograph receiver12 located in the presence of the recording operator so that she maycheck up the work of her telautograph transmitter. After this messagehas been transmitted to the toll or connecting operator the recordingoperator instructs the calling subscriber to hang his telephone upon itsswitch hook whereupon the equipment of the calling line is restored tonormal upon the withdrawal of the plug by the A operator that united thecalling line with the recording operator. The toll board operator havingthe selected telautograph receiver will put up the connection betweenthe calling line and the wanted line in any usual or suitable manner, asfor example by means of cord circuits 13 which may connect jacks 14belonging to toll trunks 15 with jacks 1G pertaining to the li ies 17extending to the distant exchange 18 to which the line wanted by thecalling subscriber extends; the toll trunks 15 terminating in plugs 19at a B toll operators position where such B toll operator connects thetrunk 15 assigned by her to the toll operator with the calling line.W'hile I have illustrated the telephone lines 17 as extending betweenthe toll board and exchange 18, yet it is obvious that these telephonelines 17 .may, in certain systems, eX- tend directly to subscribersstations. The toll board is shown as being located in the saine placewith the exchange to which the lines .of the stations 200, 201 extend.The final connection with the calling line by the plug 19 is noteffected until the desired party has been secured and is ready toconverse. After conversation between the parties has been completed andthe connection taken i down, the toll board operator will deposit therecordslip in a pneumatic tube conveyer 20 which conveys the slip to afiling clerk located at 21. If the calling subscriber is not able tofurnish therecording operator with all of the information desired, suchfor example as the exact telephone number of the wanted party, therecording opera-tor, after having secured all-the information possiblefrom the calling subscriber, will depress the employed key 7 beyond itsnormal range of movement .to secure connection with an informationoperator having telephone equipment 22. If there is more than .i

y one information operator an idle information operator is selected bymeans of an idleoperator selector switch 23 which, in conjunction withthe switch 24, closed upon the extraordinary movement of the employedkey 7, will connect an idle operator with the telephone outfit 25 of therecording operator. The switch 24 also operates to set the selectorswitch 23 into motion. Having secured connection with the idleinformation operatorv the recording operator will complete the ticket ather transmitter 11 whereupon the operations will proceed as hithertodescribed, though this feature of the invention is not to be limited tothe method by which the information acquired by the recording operatorfrom the information operator is transmitted to the toll operator. YVhenthe operator manipulates the key 9 she throws a telautograph receiver 26into circuit with her telautograph transmitter 11 sothat the messageproduced at 10 is duplicated at 26 in the 'presence of' a filing clerkat 21 who files the record made by the receiver 26, later filing withsuch record the corresponding record received through the conveying tube20. Ifthe lcalling subscriber should wish to ascertain the condition ofthe desired connection he is connected with atrunk line 27 by means of alink 6 and jacks 5 and 28, this trunk line leading to informationoperators, an idle one of whom will depress a key 29 to include hertelephone in circuit with the calling line, the information operatorusing the files of the tiling clerk for the purpose of gatheringinformation to furnish to the calling subscriber.

By means of the system thus generally outlined in connection with lFig.1 it will be seen that the tool board operators are relieved of theburden of at any time s upplying information to the calling subscriber-so that such operators may work to their full capacity in putting upconnections. rlhis aspect of the invention vis not to be limitedy to thepresence of recording instruments at the recording and toll boardpositions. Eiciency of the tool board operators is obviously increasedby means of that feature ot the invention wherein the orders areautomatically transmitted to idle operators by means of apparatuscontrolled by the recording operato-rs. `While ll have shown theequipment 1 of a receiving operator and the equipment of an addedrecording operator and while the lines directly accessible to thereceiving operator do not extend directly to the toll board, l do notwish to be limited lto these characteristics.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 2, 3 and 4 l will describe thepreferred embodiment of my invention more in detail. The subscriberssubstations Q00 and 2&300 are provided with telephone lines which eX-tend respectively to the positions of the link connectors 1 and i3. Theequipment at station 200 includes a telephone receiver 30, a telephonetransmitter 31, acall bell 32, condenser 33, and a switch hook 34provided with a normal contact for including the bell and condenser inbridge of its line and an alternate Contact for including the telephonereceiver and transmitter in bridge ot itsy line. The equipment atstation A300 is sii'nilar to 'that at station Q00 excepting that thecondenser and lower switch hook contact are absent. Each of thetelephone lines is illustrated as being equipped with line signals 35controlled by any suitable line equipment so well known by those skilledin the art as to require no description. The connecting outts 1 and 13may be ot any usual or suitable form, those shown being in the form ofcord circuits terminating in plugs at both ends and as the cordcircuitsA illustrated are of well known arrangement they will not beparticularly described. 'When a call is received at the exchange wherethe link connectors 1 are located, the operator there `will insert theanswering plug 36 into the jack 2 of the calling line and will ascertainthe connection desired by the calling subscriber after the listening key27 has cut such operators telephone in circuit with the calling line.Assuming that the connection is for some such station as A300 theoperator will insert the connecting plug 37 in the jack 3 pertainmg tosome ence of the second call receiving operator,

and it' there be a number of such operators the signaling device 39 inthe presence of each of such operators has its circuit closed by saidrelay 38. Some second call receiving operator, or as she willhereinafter be termed recording operator, will answer her signal 39 byinserting the plug -l0 of an idle cord circuit 6 in the jack 5pertaining to the trunk 4 now connected with the employed plug 37. Theheel of the plug 40 establishes an apparent circuit for the lower coilof relay 41, the armature switch of this relay thereupon efi'acing thesignal at each signal device 39, this armature switch also thereuponestablishing an apparent locking circuit for the relay 41 by Way oilthealternate contact of such armature to prevent reoperation of thesignals 39 until the plug 3T has been withdrawn and reinserted.

Each link 6 includes well known super-y visory relays t2 and 43 whichneedinot be described. Each such link also includes a well knownlistening key 44 for including the associate operators telephoneequipment in telephonie association with the employed link 6. rlherecording operator will depress her key -lt to receive from the callingsubscriber the number oi' the call or connection desired and as sheascertains this information she depress/es her key 7 pertaining to thatconnecting or toll board operators position or positions at which thedesired line is accessible. As the invention is herein embodied there isa telautograph receiver 10 at each toll operators position which isconnected with the recording operators .equipment when such tollposition is Ythus connected with such equipment. lllhere there is anumber of toll operators there is also a number of telautographreceivers 10 and a selector switch 8 is employed or selecting a receiver10 and the operatorhaving charge thereof that are not otherwiseemployed. T his selector switch 8 is set in motion upon the depressionof the key 9, the left hand pair ot contacts of this key closing acircuit traceable rdm ground, said Contact, the bottom armature switchof relay 45, the normal contact of this armature switch, the motormagnet 46 of the employed selector switch 8, sluggishly operating relayvt7 and its armature and Contact, to the grounded common battery 48. Thewipers of the employed selector switch are now set into motion until thewiper 50 of this switch encounters a grounded contact whereupon. acircuit is established traceable from the grounded battery 48, the relay45, the armature of niotor magnet 46 and its contact, the extreme lefthand pair of contactsof the employed switch 7, the 'wiper 50, thecontact engaged thereby, the armature switch of relay 51 in its idleposition (such being -the case when the link pertaining to this relay 51is idle), the contact of this armature switch, the armature switch ofrelay 52 and its contact, to ground. A locking circuit is establishedfor relay traceable from the left hand pair of contacts of the employedswitch 9, the lowermost armature switch of relay 45 and its left handalternate contact, the winding of relay 45, the grounded battery 48, toground. A. circuit is established for relay 51 traceable from the lefthand pair of contacts of the employed key' 9, the bottom armature switchof relay 45 and its right hand alternate contact, the second pair ofcontacts from the left of the employed switch 7, the wiper 58 of theemployed switch 8, the relay 51, to the grounded battery 48. When therelay 51 is thus energized, ground is removed from the waiting contactengaged by the wiper at the armature of this relay whereby otherswitches 8 will not select the same links or trunks which have beenselected by the employed switch 8, it being understood that the switches8 of a group whose contacts are similarly positioned have such contactsin multiple connectiono .When the switch 8 has been brought to rest anidle telautograph receiver 10 is, by means of such switch, connectedwith the telautograph transmitter 11 belonging to the correspondingrecording operator. Upon f the depression of the key 9 the telautographreceiver 26 in the presence of the filing clerk was also connected withthe telu autograph transmitter 11.-

I have deemed it unnecessary to illustrate and describe in detail themeans by which a message written by the recording operator upon thetelautograph transmitter 11 is reproduced at the telautograph receivers10 and 26 as such equipment is so well known by those skilled in theart. The prior art respecting telautographs is exhibited-by UnitedStates Patent 656,828, issued August 28, 1900 and Patents 668,889 to668,895 "inclusive, dated February 26, 1901', lt will suirlce to saythat current for operating the telautograph receiver 10l ,is transmittedover a metallic circuit traceable from the lower side of the transmitter11, the contact 54 of the employed key 9, the Contact to the right ofcontact 54, the top armature switch of relay 45 and its contact, theright hand pair of contacts of the maarre operator will check themessage which sheh is transmitting to the receivers 10 and 26.

The calling Subscriber ordinarily is able to furnish the recording:operator with all theinormation desired such as the number `of thecalling line and the complete telephonie and geographic designation ofthe desired line. It some times happens that the calling subscriber isnot able to furnishI the completefdata respecting the desired line andin such event'the employed key 7 is further depressed to establish acircuit at 24 to set a selector switch 28 into operation for.

-the purpose of selecting 'an idle information operator, the circuitestablished at 24 being traceable from ground', the contacts of switch24, the bottom armature switch of relay 59, and its normal contact, themotor magnet 60 of the selector switch 23, the sluggishly operatinginterrupter relay 61 and its armature switch and contact, to thegrounded battery 48., The motor magnet 6) continues' in operation untilthe wiper 620iE the selector switch 23 encounters a grounded wait'- ingcontact whereupon a circuit is established traceable from the groundedbattery 48, the winding of relay 59, the armature of motor magnet 60 andits contact, the wiper 62 and its engaged waiting contact, the armatureswitch of relay 63 and 'its engaged contact (a relay 68 being individualto each information operator and being de- 1ctl energized when the trunkline leading to such operator is idle), the armature switch of relay 64`and its engaged contact, to

ground. An` apparent locking" circuitis thereupon established for therelay 59 by way of the left hand valternate contact of the bottomarmature switch of thisk relay and the closed switch 24, the recordingop erator maintaining the key 7 in its fully depressed position untilshe has finished her.

conversation with the selected information operator. A. circuit isestablished at the bottom armature switch of relay 59 traceable from theswitch 24, this bottom-armature switch, the left hand alternate contactof this switch. the relay 65,l to the grounded battery 48. Relay 65 willnow attract its idee armature switches to exclude the telephoneequipment 25 of the recording operator from connection with the callingline if the recording operator has not previously released her listeningkey 44 for this purpose to avoid maarre confusion which might arise ifthe calling party were at liberty to listen into the conversationbetween the recording operator and the information operator. rlherecording operators telephone equipment 25- is now included in circuitwith the primary repeating coils 66, this connection being establishedby way of the armature switches of relay and their alternate contacts,the two upper switches of the relay 59 and their contacts, and thewipers 67 and 68 of the employed switchL 23 and the waiting contactsconstituting terminals of the 'bridge including the coils 66. lThe coils66 are in inducing relation to the secondary coils 69 which in turn arein local circuit with the head telephone at 22 of the selectedinformation operator. p

The information operators are provided with the usual telephonieequipment whereby they may impress telephonie current upon the telephone/equipment 25 of the recording operator. An obvious circuit is nowestablished that includes impedance coils at 70 which are in closedcircuit with the coils 66 whereby the relay 63 in this closed circuit isenergized to remove the ground from the contact engaged by the wiper 62so that no other selector switch 23 may select the previously selectedequipment 22, it being' understood that similarly positioned contacts ofselector switches 23 in the same group areiin multiple connection. rlherecording operator will write the information upon her transmitter 11 asshe receives it either from 'the calling subscriber or both from thecalling subscriber and selected information operator and if a part ofthis information has been received from an information operator therecording operator will allow the key 7 to be restored to its firstdepressed position to open the switch at 24 after the necessaryinformation has been secured from the information operator whereby therelays 59 vand 65 are denergized to restore the equipment of the.employed switch 23 to an idle condition, the relay 63 obviously beingagain denergized to permit the'associate telephone equipment 22 again tobe selected. When the recording operator has transmitted to the tolloperator all the information necessary to enable the toll operator toput up the connection, the recording operator will release the key 9whereby circuits for the relays 45 and 51 are opened to restore theequipment of the employed selector switch 8 to an idle condition. Atthis time the recording operator will inform the calling subscriber at200 to restore his telephone receiver upon its switch hook and therecording operator will withdraw the plug 40 whereafter the firstoperator will withdraw the plugs 36 and 37 from their jacks whereby allof this equipment is restored to normal. The ling clerk having-charge ofthe telautograph receiver 26 will tear off the information slip and fileit within access of the information operators having the telephoneequipments 22. r1`he toll operator will also tear off the slip uponwhich the recorded information appears but will hold this slip inreadiness to add thereto Iother information such as the duration of theconversation between the connected parties and any other data that maybe required in connection with toll service. The toll operator willthereupon seek connection with the operator having charge of plugs at 19at the board to which the calling line extends, a usual order wirecircuit 71 answering this purpose. rIhe operator at 19 will assign tothe toll operator an idle plug 19, which will be inserted in the jack ofthe calling line 200 in accordance with instructions to this effect sentto the toll operator by way of the order wire 71. rl`he toll operatorwill thereupon insert the plug 72 of an idle cord circuit 13 into thejack 1d individual to the employed plug 19 and will insert the mate 73of the plug 7 2 within the jack 16 pertaining to a desired line A300.The calling and called parties are now signaled upon the manipulation ofthe ringing keys 74 and 75 in the usual way. rlhe cord circuit at 13isof any usual or suitable construction and arrangement, that shown beingso well known by those skilled in the art as to require no description.After the parties have finished their conversation or in the event offailure to secure connection between the parties the toll operator willfill out the ticket giving the necessary data and will transmit it bythc pneumatic tube conveyer 20 to the filing clerk having 'charge of thetelautograph receiver 26, and this filing clerk will fileA this secondticket with the ticket which she previously filed so that both ticketsare accessible to the information operators.

W'hen a toll operator is putting upa connection either-her listening key76 pertaining to the employed link 13 or her order wire key 7 7 is in adepressed position whereby the relay 52 is then energized to removeground from the waiting contact engaged by the wiper 50 so as to guardthe selected telautograph receiver 10 from selection by another switch 8while the toll operator is still engaged with the desired connection.

If the calling subscriber should desire any calling line and theinformation operators4 by means of a plug 78 (companion to the plug 40that is connected with the calling line in the manner previouslydescribed) inserted in the jack 28 connected with the informationoperators positions, there being signaling apparatus 80 at theinformation operators 'positions individual to each trunk jack 28, eachtrunk line 27 having as many signal lamps 80 as there are informationoperators positions, one lamp at each position. As was hitherto statedthe filing clerk files her record slips Where they are accessible to theinformation operators whereby the information operators may readilysupply the calling subscribers with information, the recording and tolloperators being relieved of this burden.

While I have herein shown and particularly described the preferredembodiment of my invention I do not wish to be limited to the precisedetails of construction and circuit arrangement shown as chanves mayreadily-he made without departing rom the spirit of my invention, but

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent the following A telephone exchange system includingtelephone lines extending to an exchange; call receiving operatorsequipment having means for associating it with calling lines; connectingoperators equipments to which telephone lines extend, these equipmentsincluding recording receivers; a transmitter at the call receivingoperators position :for operating the recording receivers; a selectorswitch for selecting an idle recording receiver; and an additionalrecording receiver located in the presence of a third operator andoperable by the transmitter' of the call receiving operator.

ln witness whereof, l hereunto subscribe mv name this fourteenth day ofJuly, A. D., 1913.

MOR-TON L. JOHNSON.

Witnesses G. L. Carico, ETTA L. `WHITE.

